The Tamworth Harness Racing Club wrapped up their 2022 racing carnival last Sunday evening and the locals had a fair showing in the $40,000 Multiquip Golden Guitar Final.
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Tumby Park, which is headed up by former Armidale residents Scott Whitton and Jodie Foster, saw their pacer Aqua Sancta take out the prestigious final with a win over stablemate Delightful Dude.
It was a quinella for the owners and also for Sydney trainer Jarrod Alchin.
It has been a "bucket list" wish for both the owners and trainer and after four years of placings in the feature race, they finally picked up the big prize.
"It was a terrific feeling to win, something we have wanted to do for a long time," Whitton said of his his pacer Aqua Sancta who was driven by Sydney reinsman Will Rixon while fellow Sydney reinsman Cameron Hart handled the reins behind stablemate Delightful Dude.
Full credit must also go to Tamworth trainer Andy Ison and his son Tom who put up a great challenge from barrier rise to take the lead with Overthemoon from the one barrier.
They set the tempo of the race before finishing third.
The Ison duo did pick up a winner at the Carnival of Cups meeting in Rosie Rocks who had a 1.2-metre win over Manly Boy (Nathan Hurst) and Beiderbecke (Robert Morris).
Rosie Rocks was having her first start for the Ison stables and new part owner Tim Varga.
"The win was well deserved," Ison said.
Rosie Rock covered the 1609 metres in 1.58.5
Hunter Valley trainer Clayton Harmey had success in a training double at the meeting with Brydon Earl taking out the Multiquip Golden Guitar Consolation driven by 19-year-old Grace Panella.
It was good to see that Panella is picking up some nice wins and gaining acknowledgement in her own right with being the younger sister of Lauren Tritton.
"The horse has been working well and when I saw his draw I knew he would be in with a chance," Panella said of Brydon Earl who is raced by Jennifer Morgan - mother of Blake Hughes who presented the next winner for Harmey.
That was Portalegre who brought up the winning double for the Harmey stables in taking out the $12,000 Garrard's Horse & Hound Tamworth City Cup driven by Blake Hughes.
The Harmey name is now etched in the history chronicles as taking out the three features at Tamworth - Golden Guitar Final, Gold Nugget and Tamworth City Cup - over the years as both a trainer and reinsman.
Tamworth trainer Tony Missen found a unique way to celebrate his 60th birthday with a training double. First it was Miso Miso who won the KR Standardbred Dash For Cash with a gross time of 1.27.8 for 1230 metres, just outside the track record (1.26.9) set by Culinary Delight back in 2016.
Missen's second winner was Pay Me Smart and has done a sterling job with both pacers with Miso Miso having five starts for the stable for three wins and once placing.
Pay Me Smart has also had five starts for three wins and two placings.
Maitland reinsman Brad Elder, who had seven drives for the Greg Coney stables at Tamworth on Thursday afternoon, has been clocking up some frequent flyer points of late with driving winners in Tasmania last weekend.
Elder drove two winners on Friday night at Launceston for trainer Ben Yole before heading off to Devonport on Sunday to drive Bao Nein - a pacer he owns and who is trained by Connor Crook.
Elder will line up at Newcastle on Friday night for eight drives before heading to Menangle on Sunday night.
